Ifeanyi Ekechukwu and his Prospect teammates were hoping to win a championship in the Lynbrook Winter Hoops Classic last weekend. And the Panthers did win a title–just not the one they wanted.

Prospect had to settle for a consolation championship after losing its opener 80-67 to Mills to fall into the losers’ bracket. But the Panthers battled back to beat host Lynbrook 65-43 and Monta Vista 55-36 to take the consolation crown.

Ekechukwu led the Prospect basketball team to the strong showing, pouring in 55 points in three games for the Panthers. He put up 23 points in the consolation title game, burying four three-pointers to help to the win over the Matadors.

Jalen Benitez added 11 points with a trio of threes in the win, while Tharon King scored nine. Hariz Nasufovic put up five with a three and Bryce Ogata had five with a free throw. Lukas Swidler also had two points in the win.

In the second round of the tournament, Prospect bested tourney host Lynbrook 65-43 with Benitez out in front with 14 points. Samir Mesic was right behind with 10, while Ekechukwu and Rajic Nemanja each added nine. Swidler had eight, Nasufovic scored seven, Daniel Tang, Nick Kikuchi and Matt Romero each had two and Ogata and Christian Neilson had one apiece. Benitez scored nine points from beyond the arc, while Mesic had six. Nasufovic, Ekechukwy and Nemanja each hit a three.

Ekechukwu started the tournament strong with a 23-point night, but the Panthers fell 80-67 to Mills, who went on to lose in the championship round 76-50 to El Camino. Benitez followed with 11, King hit nine, Nasufovic and Ogata each had five and Swidler added two. Ekechukwu hit four threes in the loss, while Benitez hit two and Nasufovic sunk one.

The Panthers have one more game scheduled prior to beginning their winter break. Prospect will meet Santa Clara on the road on Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

The Del Mar boys won two of three games last week, ending with a 64-61 loss to Santa Clara. Ryan Bald was the top scorer for the Dons, putting up 26 points, while Manna Yohannes added 14 and Alex Balandra had 11. Tyler Onishi and Malik Egberuare each added four and Brandon Richard had two. Bald had 15 points from beyond the arc while Yohannes put up 12.

Prior to the loss, the Dons crushed University Prep Academy from San Jose 74-28. Yohannes led with 17 points, then Bald with 16 and Onishi with 11. Richard put up seven, Anthony Arenas and Randy Carter each had six, Egberuare and Gilles Mfoud four apiece, Thai Nguyen two and Balandra one. Yohannes had another 12 points from beyond the arc, while Bald and Onishi each hit a three.

The Dons also bested St. Thomas More 69-58 with Bald knocking down 25 points. Balandra added 15, Egberuare 11 and Richard 10. Onishi scored five and Mfoud three in the win. Bald and Balandra each knocked down a pair of threes.

The Dons moved to 3-2 in preseason and are scheduled to face Branham at the home of the Bruins on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.

Westmont has been idle since a Nov. 30 loss to Willow Glen in the finals of its own tournaments. The Warriors, though, were to face Gunn and Los Gatos earlier this week and will visit Palo Alto on Dec. 15, 6 p.m., and Yerba Buena on Dec. 18, 7 p.m., before breaking for winter vacation.

Girls basketball

The Prospect girls finished one win shy of the consolation title in the King’s Academy Invitational tournament. The Panthers fell in the consolation championship game to host King’s 45-34. Stephanie Tandun led the Panthers with 11 points, while Ayla Reed was right behind with nine. Sarah Miller had six points, Kaileigh Otsuka five and Samira Memic three. Memic, Reed and Tandun each hit a three-pointer in the loss.

In the second round of the tournament, Prospect bested James Lick 35-34 with Tandun knocking down 21 points. Reed scored seven, Aylah Sablan five and Teodora Losic two. Tandon buried a trio of threes, while Reed hit one.

Prospect fell in the first round of the tournament 48-32 to Harker, despite Tandun scoring 15. Losic added six, Reed four, Otsuka three and Yan-ping Nian and Aida Avdagic two apiece. Reed and Tandun each hit a three in the loss.

The Panthers are now 2-4 overall and are scheduled to face Hillsdale on Dec. 21 at 2:30 p.m. before heading to winter break.

The female Dons lost in their only contest last week, falling 45-22 to Capuchino. Mia Favela led Del Mar with seven points, while Dannyel Geremew had six. Milena Vukcevich had five and Nicole Munoz and Cynthia Rodriguez each had two. The loss drops the Dons to 1-2 so far this year. They were scheduled to face San Lorenzo Valley and Oceana earlier this week before hosting Gonzales on Dec. 17 and visiting Gilroy on Dec. 20 in a couple of 7 p.m. games.

The Del Mar girls will host the annual Dons Club Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27-29 at the local high school.

The Westmont girls, like the boys, were idle last week. The Warriors were to take their 2-1 record up against Wilcox on Tuesday and will host Evergreen Valley on Dec. 14, 7 p.m. Westmont visits Willow Glen on Dec. 19, 7 p.m., and face Valley Christian on Dec. 22, 4 p.m., at Evergreen Valley High School before competing in the Del Mar tourney Dec. 27-29.